JP4702378B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus having a function of outputting an image file and an attribute file of the image file.

  Conventionally, documents such as documents that need to be stored and documents that may be used in the future are filed in a paper state and stored in a cabinet or the like. However, with sophistication of data processing technology and lower prices of memory for storing data, so-called document management systems are used in which documents to be stored are read by a scanner device and stored in a mass storage device. It has become.

  On the other hand, facsimile systems have recently become widespread in offices and the like, and play a useful role in data communication. Such a system is configured, for example, by connecting a digital multifunction peripheral, a client device, or the like via a communication network such as a LAN. When the digital multifunction peripheral transfers the data received by facsimile to the client device or receives data specifying the transfer destination from the client device, the digital multifunction peripheral transmits the received data to the specified transfer destination. .

Some digital multi-function peripherals as described above have a function of outputting document data to the document management system or the like during copy and scan operations. In such a case, the digital multi-function peripheral transfers information input from the operation panel together with the image file as an attribute file to a document management system or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-341454 A

As described above, when outputting manuscript data to a document management system or the like, the output attribute file has a format programmed in advance by a device, and it may be difficult to use from the system side using the attribute file. there were.
Although there are things that can customize the format of this attribute file, it has to be described by a dedicated program for customization, and the threshold is high. For this reason, manufacturers have newly designed an operation panel that can input information desired by the user. However, if this is done, there is a problem that it takes time and cost.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image processing apparatus in which a user can flexibly customize an attribute file to be output together with an image file by a simple method.

In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus of the present invention is an image processing apparatus having a function of outputting an image file and an attribute file of the image file, and is a storage destination of information input to the attribute file. a label instruction file, describing the embedding instruction information associated with the label name, a display unit for displaying a storage unit that stores the template files of the attribute file, the information input screen for inputting the attribute file, The attribute file is generated, and includes a control unit that controls each unit, and the control unit stores an information storage destination label name instruction file created by the user and a template file of the attribute file in the storage unit, When the image file is output, the control unit performs information in accordance with the contents specified in the label name instruction file created by the user. An input screen and displays on the display unit, the template file created by the user, according to the embedding instruction information associated with the label name described in the template file, describes the information input by the information input screen The attribute file is generated.

  According to another image processing apparatus of the present invention, when the label name specified in the template file is not defined in the image processing apparatus, the control means describes default information in the attribute file. It is characterized by.

  According to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, according to the document management system to be used, the label name of the storage destination of the information input by the user to the attribute file can be arbitrarily designated, and a template file of the attribute file can be created. it can. Therefore, the user can easily change the operation panel for inputting attribute information, and the attribute file can be customized by a simple method, and can be flexibly linked with an external document management system or the like.

  Embodiments in which the image processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration example of a system including a digital multifunction peripheral, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the digital multifunction peripheral.

In the network configuration diagram shown in FIG. 1, 1 is a digital multifunction peripheral, 2 is a log file server, 3 is a document management system, 4 is a host terminal, 5 is a public switched telephone network (PSTN), 6 is a LAN, and 7 is an Internet network. It is.
The digital multi-function peripheral 1 has functions of a copy mode, a printer mode, and a fax mode, and is connected to the PSTN 5 and the LAN 6. The log file server 2, the document management system 3, and a plurality of host terminals 4 are connected to the LAN 6. Yes.

The document management system 3 includes a large-capacity storage device that stores image files, stores image files from the digital multifunction peripheral 1, and the log file server 2 logs output from the digital multifunction peripheral 1, that is, attribute files. Remember.
The LAN 6 is also connected to the Internet network 7, and the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can send and receive mail via the Internet network 7.

  As described above, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 transfers the attribute file of the image file to the log file server 2 and stores it when the image file is output to the document management system 3. Then, the document management system 3 always accesses the log file server 2 to check whether or not the attribute file is stored. If the attribute file is stored, the document management system 3 takes in the attribute file. ing. The log file server 2 can be provided in the document management system 3.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the digital multi-function peripheral 1, and the CPU 11 controls each part of the hardware of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 through the bus 24 and various types based on programs stored in the ROM 12. Run the program. The ROM 12 stores in advance various programs and operation messages necessary for the operation of the digital multi-function peripheral, and the RAM 13 is composed of an SRAM or the like, and stores temporary data generated when the program is executed. The RAM 13 is provided with a file storage area 14 for storing a label name instruction file for storing information to be input to the attribute file and a template file of the attribute file created by the user.

The display unit 15 includes a display unit that displays an operation state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and an operation screen for various functions. The operation unit 16 includes a plurality of operation keys for operating the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Has been.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16. The LCD display unit 31 constituting the display unit 15 is provided with a touch panel switch, and by pressing an item part displayed on the LCD display unit 31, a corresponding item can be selected and a function can be executed. .

  As operation keys, a ten key 32, a start key 33, a reset key 34, a stop key 35, a plurality of one-touch dial keys 36, a cross key 37, a return key 38, and a set key 39 are provided. Furthermore, a FAX switching key 40, a copy switching key 41, and a scanner switching key 42 are provided as function switching keys. It should be noted that some or all of these operation keys or function switching keys can be substituted by the LCD display unit 31.

  The reading unit 17 reads a document with a scanner using a CCD or the like, and outputs color or monochrome dot image data. The image memory 18 is configured using a DRAM or the like, and stores image data to be transmitted, received image data, or image data read by the reading unit 17.

The recording unit 19 includes an electrophotographic printer or the like, and prints out received image data, copy original data, or print data transmitted from the host terminal 4.
The codec 20 encodes and decodes corresponding to a predetermined protocol, encodes the read document image data by the MH, MR, or MMR method, and decodes the image data received from the outside. The codec 20 also encodes and decodes in correspondence with the TIFF method, which is an image format generally used as a file that can be attached to an e-mail.

  The modem 21 is connected to a bus 24 and has a function as a fax modem capable of facsimile communication. The modem 21 is also connected to a network control unit (NCU) 22 connected to the bus 24. The NCU 22 is hardware that closes and opens an analog line, and connects the modem 21 to the PSTN 5 as necessary.

  On the other hand, the LAN interface 23 (I / F) is connected to the LAN 6 and receives data from the host terminal 4 or data from the Internet network 7 via the LAN 6. The LAN interface 23 also transmits data to the LAN 6 and executes interface processing such as signal conversion or protocol conversion.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 is configured as described above, and at the time of facsimile transmission, original image data is read by the reading unit 17, compressed by the codec 20, and stored in the image memory 18. The compressed image data is read from the image memory 18, modulated by the modem 21, and transmitted from the NCU 22 to the communication partner through the PSTN 5. At the time of facsimile reception, the received image data is demodulated by the modem 21, stored in the image memory 18, decoded by the codec 20, and printed by the recording unit 19.

  On the other hand, the digital multifunction device 1 has a function of transferring a file of image data read by the reading unit 17 to the document management system 3 at the time of copying or scanning. The image file transfer function will be described below.

  FIG. 4 is a table stored in the RAM 13 for storing the contents displayed on the operation panel for inputting attribute file information and the input information. This table designates the label name and display name of the four input fields on the operation panel, and can be input by a label name instruction file for storing information to be input to the attribute file created by the user as a text file. it can.

  FIG. 5 is an example of the label name instruction file of the information storage destination, and it is possible to instruct label names and information input methods at four input positions on the operation panel as shown in the figure. In the illustrated example, “login user name”, “login user ID”, “document title”, and “document classification” are displayed as input information on the operation panel. The “document title” can be arbitrarily input by the user, and “scanned document” is set as default information. The “document classification” can be selected from “estimation”, “design drawing”, and “contract”, and “design drawing” is set as default information when the user does not select it.

  The user creates the label name instruction file on the host terminal 4, assigns a file name, for example, “for scanning” to the created file, and transmits it to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via the LAN 6. Thus, the label name instruction file transferred by the CPU 11 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is stored in the file storage area 14. FIG. 6 shows the contents stored in the table shown in FIG. 4 when the label name instruction file shown in FIG. 5 is selected. The login user name and the login user ID are “userName” of the login user and “UserID” is read from the RAM 13 and registered in the input information column.

  Next, a template file created by the user for generating an attribute file will be described. In this template file, an information embedding instruction can be described in association with the label name. FIG. 7 shows an example of a template file at the time of scanning, which is created as a text file by the user. In this template file, “% xxx%” (xxx is the label name) is an information embedding instruction, and such an embedding instruction is arbitrarily described by the user according to the specifications of the document management system used by the user. Can do. If the label name “% xxx%” is not defined, the information specified by Default is inserted.

  Similar to the label name instruction file, the above template file is created by the user at the host terminal 4, and a file name, for example, “scan 1” is assigned to the created template file and transmitted to the digital multifunction device 1 via the LAN 6. To do. As a result, the template file transferred by the CPU 11 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is stored in the file storage area 14. Such a label name instruction file and template file can be created by a plurality of users, and a large number of files can be stored in the file storage area 14.

  Next, the operation when the image file is transferred to the document management system will be described. After the user logs in to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 using the login ID and selects transfer setting to the document management system on the function selection screen of the LCD display unit 31 of the display unit 15, the operation panel and template are displayed on the LCD display unit 31. The selection screen is displayed.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the operation panel and template selection screen, which can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of label name instruction files and a plurality of template files stored in the file storage area 14. After the user selects an arbitrary file on this screen, the attribute information input screen can be displayed by pressing the “OK” button, and the document management of the image file can be performed by pressing the “Cancel” button. You can cancel the transfer to the system.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an attribute information input screen when the file shown in FIG. 5 is selected as the label name instruction file. Information registered in the table of FIG. 6 is displayed for the login user name and the login user ID, and the user can arbitrarily input the document title. Further, when a document classification selection button is pressed on this screen, the document classification can be selected as shown in FIG. Then, the attribute information input by the user pressing the “OK” button on the screen of FIG. 9 is stored in the table shown in FIG. 6 of the RAM 13, and when the “Cancel” button is pressed, FIG. You can return to the transfer setting screen.

  After the attribute information is stored, when the user presses the scanner switching key 42 of the operation unit 16 and presses the start key 33, the image data of the document is read by the reading unit 17 and accumulated in the image memory 18. Thereafter, the image data file is transferred to the document management system 3 and an attribute file of the image file is generated. The operation when the attribute file is generated will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  After starting the attribute file creation program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the CPU 11 takes out the template file of the attribute file selected in the process from the template file storage area 14 and reads one line (step 101). Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an information embedding instruction has been detected in the one line (step 102). If it is determined that no information embedding instruction has been detected, the CPU 11 returns to step 101 and continues with the next template file. Is read.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 102 that an information embedding instruction has been detected, the CPU 11 refers to the table in FIG. 6 to determine whether or not the instructed label is defined (step 103). When it is determined that the label is defined, the CPU 11 reads information on the memory area indicated by the label in the table of FIG. 6 (step 104). When it is determined that the label is not defined, the CPU 11 reads default information. (Step 105). That is, when the label is not defined, default information described in the line, for example, “1” is read in the case of term.

  After reading the information in step 104 or step 105, the CPU 11 inserts the read information at the embedding instruction position (step 106). Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the last line of the template file has been read (step 107). If it is determined that the last line has not been read, the CPU 11 returns to step 101 and reads the next line. If it is determined that the last line has been read, the CPU 11 ends the program.

FIG. 12 is an example of an attribute file of a scanned image file into which information has been inserted as described above, and is transmitted to the log file server 2 as a text file.
As described above, according to the document management system to be used, the label name of the storage destination of information input by the user to the attribute file can be arbitrarily designated, and a template file of the attribute file can be created. Therefore, the user can easily change the operation panel for inputting attribute information, and the attribute file can be customized by a simple method.

In the above embodiment, the selection of the operation panel and the template is instructed from the operation unit of the digital multifunction peripheral. However, various settings and information input can be performed from the host terminal.
In the above embodiment, the example in which the image processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to other image processing apparatuses such as a copying apparatus.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration example of a system including a digital multi-function peripheral to which an image processing apparatus of the present invention is applied. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral. FIG. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of a display part and an operation part. It is an example of the table which memorize | stores the content displayed on an operation panel, and the input information. It is an example of a label name instruction file created by a user. It is an example of the table which memorized the data displayed on an operation panel. It is an example of the template file created by the user. It is an example of the selection screen of an operation panel and a template. It is an example of an attribute information input screen. It is an attribute information input screen in a state where a document classification can be selected. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action at the time of attribute file generation. It is an example of the attribute file of a scan image file.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital MFP 2 Log File Server 3 Document Management System 4 Host Terminal 5 PSTN
6 LAN
7 Internet 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 File storage area 15 Display section 16 Operation section 17 Reading section 18 Image memory 19 Recording section 20 Codec 21 Modem 22 NCU
23 LAN I / F
24 buses

Claims (3)

An image processing apparatus having a function of outputting an image file and an attribute file of the image file,
Storage destination of the label instruction file information to be input to the attribute file, describing the embedding instruction information associated with the label name, a storage unit for storing a template file of the attribute file, the input to the attribute file A display unit that displays an information input screen, and a control unit that generates the attribute file and controls the units.
The control unit stores an information storage destination label name instruction file created by the user and a template file of the attribute file in the storage unit, and when the image file is output, the control unit creates a label name instruction file created by the user. The information input screen in accordance with the content instructed in (1) is displayed on the display unit, and the information in accordance with the instruction for embedding the information associated with the label name described in the template file by the template file created by the user is displayed. An image processing apparatus for generating an attribute file describing information input on an input screen. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 .
An image processing apparatus, wherein when the label name specified in the template file is not defined, the control means describes default information in an attribute file. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.
An image processing apparatus, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of different label name instruction files and template files.

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